This radio ad provides a glimpse into how the Obama campaign is localizing its efforts to attack Mitt Romney's controversial comments on the "47 percent," breaking down who makes up the group in Wisconsin. I heard the ad for the first time shortly after I landed in Wisconsin on Thursday, and I decided to count. I heard it 22 more times from Thursday through Saturday across a wide variety of platforms on both AM and FM radio, though I did a fair amount of driving on each of the three days I was in the Badger State.
Needless to say, people are taking notice in the state. Michal Lattomus, a self-described Republican who lives in Paul Ryan's neighborhood in Janesville, Wis., said the comments were "the single stupidest thing a presidential nominee could have done." She called the ad, which she said she had heard a fair amount of times, a natural, effective response from the Obama campaign.
"They really killed him for a while here, and they probably still are and will continue to," she said.
The ad's key line comes near the finish:
"Mitt Romney said those citizens — meaning Wisconsin veterans, seniors and middle-class families — call themselves victims. Victims?"
The Obama campaign's Wisconsin office provided us with the audio for the ad. Take a listen:
